- The name “Almaty” means “rich with apple”; the older Soviet-era Russian version of its name, Alma-Ata, originates from a mistake (literally means Grandfatherapple”).
- In the surrounding region, there is a great genetic diversity among the wild apples; the region is in fact in the ancestral home of the apple, and the wild Malus sieversii, now considered to be a likely candidate for the ancestor of the modern domestic apple, originates from the area around Almaty.
- Zenkov Cathedral, a 19thcentury Russian Orthodox cathedral located in Panfilov Park, is the second tallest wooden building in the world. (A bit like the Apple Shop in Sydney?)